Boots
by Deandra
Summary: Theodred muses on life in Rohan without him. Fluffy little ONESHOT. Part 132 of the Elfwine Chronicles.


_**Part 132 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.**_

**_A/N: Ummm, yeah – I am a little strange. Why do you ask?_**

**_By the way, you lot really should go read "The Time That is Given Us" by shie1dmaidenofrohan. Actually, you should read all her stories, but I noticed that one in particular is very underreviewed, so possibly underread also. I love "Two's A Crowd" as well, and you know how I feel about "An Act of Desperation"! Plus, she just posted a new one - "Shadow and Hope".  
_**

**Boots**

**(60 IV)**

I must confess – I think death is highly overrated. To put it bluntly, the Halls of Mandos are...dull. At least in Arda, there was much to occupy one's time. Even fighting orcs had the benefit of good ale at day's end. They do not have ale here, at least not that I have discovered. And, believe me, I have looked. With so many of my ancestors here, I would have thought one of them could have managed to work it out by now. But, alas, it is not so. They tell me I do not need to eat or drink now, but that does not necessarily mean I would not _like_ to, on occasion.

I must say, though, it was good to finally come to know my mother, and to see Father once more looking himself. The last sight I had of him before departing life was that of a man shrunken and worn down, and kept under Saruman's spell by the Wormtongue. I had not expected to see him so soon after my own passing, but he had regained his honor before his death and so could greet his kinsmen without shame. For that, I was most grateful.

Though it is difficult to judge the passage of time here, still it seems to weigh heavy on me. The one amusement I have found is watching those still in Middle Earth. I am not certain how this is possible, but yet I can 'see' them, and I have spent many hours observing how the lives of people I had known continue to play out.

Dear, feisty Eowyn. First she slays the Witch-king, and now she has married the Steward of Gondor. For a long while, I was not certain she would ever willingly give herself to any man, so strong was her independent nature, but this gentle soul has won her heart. He seems a very good man, and I know Eomer approves of him. I am pleased for her, and that she at last seems at peace with herself. Too many demons haunted her steps for most of her life, and I feared they might overwhelm her. But she is strong and brave, and she is victorious.

Then there is Gamling – serving as Eomer's doorward! How that must chafe him after being a warrior, but he is well suited to the task. He knows Eomer well, and he is most efficient. Besides, if things get rowdy in the Hall, as they sometimes do when the ale flows, he may still need to take some exercise and 'escort' certain parties from the festivities!

No surprise that Eomer chose Eothain as captain of the King's Guard. Other than me, there is no one he trusts more, and with good cause. I noticed, not long ago, that some fool thought to make Eomer believe that Eothain had betrayed him, and allowed Elfwine to be abducted. I got a good laugh out of that! Eomer was more likely to believe he had betrayed himself than that Eothain had done so! And I was pleased that his wife felt the same, taking Eothain's part in the royal court of Gondor.

Which brings me to Eomer, my cousin and now the king of Rohan in my stead. By some sorcery I do not comprehend, he and I once met face to face briefly, and were able to talk. I admonished him to cherish the beautiful family he has; indeed, if I envy him anything it is that. With life in Rohan so unsettled, I never dared think of marriage and family. And as heir to the throne, finding love in a bride seemed nearly impossible anyway. I know Eomer felt much the same when his advisers began pressing him to take a wife.

I have watched Lothiriel closely for some time now. She is beautiful and intelligent, there is no mistake, but more than that she has...heart. I do believe if I had been the one doing the choosing, I must have chosen her to be Eomer's wife and queen. She looks beyond the warrior exterior and sees the possibilities. When he doubts, she does not; when he falters, she lifts him. Oh, it is not onesided, to be sure. He does the same in return, but Eomer's temperament is such that I think the kingship might have broken him had he not found such a woman. She will see him through this; she will not let him lose sight of himself.

That time we met, I teased him that she might have been my bride had I lived. He was amused by my assertion, and I think he very likely was right to be so. I cannot envision Lothiriel ever having eyes for another man. I am not sure how I know, but I feel certain her heart was lost to Eomer almost the moment they met, though it took her a long while to realize it. Daily I see ample evidence of their love growing stronger rather than any weakening. And, the truth of it is, we would never have suited anyway. We may have been well matched by our royal lineages, but I believe I might well have driven her mad after a time with my foolishness. No, she is better suited for Eomer, which happens to be a fortunate thing!

I love to watch them together – laughing, playing, sharing, understanding. They have yielded five excellent children, not the least of which is the heir to the throne. Elfwine is a fine young man and will do the House of Eorl proud in his reign, just as his father did before him.

I do not know for certain how long one remains in these halls of Mandos', though it must be some time if my mother is yet here. Possibly, I will still be here when Eomer comes, and perhaps even when his family joins him. I should very much like to meet them, and thank them for helping him do what he must do. I know he never expected the kingship to fall on his shoulders, and he was ever indulgent in allowing me to bemoan my fate. It seems I wasted my time in that. I should have been listening to _his_ woes and fears, and offering _him_ another drink along with sage advice to worry about it when it happened.

Ah well, it is night in Middle Earth so I must go and occupy my time in some other fashion until the new day dawns. Sleep peacefully, Eomer of Rohan. You have filled my boots well, cousin.

THE END

2/24/07

FYI: Halls of Mandos - It was to the Halls of Mandos that the spirits of Elves and Men were gathered to await their different fates, and so Mandos was given its common name of the Halls of Waiting. After a time, the near-immortal Elves could be re-embodied, and return from the Halls to their kin in Aman. Men had a different fate, a fate which, even among the Lords of Valinor, only Mandos and Manwë truly understood. (excerpt from The Encyclopedia of Arda on the internet at glyphweb)

Theodred's reference to meeting Eomer face to face happened in "In Dreams".

**_End note:  It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content._**


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